Battle of Paštrik
1999 military operation during the Kosovo War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battle of Paštrik[lower-alpha 1] was a two-week confrontation between the KLA with NATO's support against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, during the Kosovo War. The official goal of the KLA was to seize the border between Albania and Kosovo, and eliminate the Yugoslav units there. The offensive was codenamed "Operation Arrow" by the KLA.[11]
Battle of Paštrik | |||||||
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Part of the Kosovo War | |||||||
Mount Paštrik view from Prizren | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
KLA Norway | Yugoslav Army | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Agim Çeku Bilall Syla Ekrem Rexha Sadik Halitjaha Tahir Sinani Beqir Sadiku Kudusi Lama[5] Wesley Clark |
Nebojša Pavković Vladimir Lazarević Božidar Delić Stojan Konjikovac | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
121st Brigade "Ismet Jashari" 123rd Brigade Kukës Division[5] |
Priština Corps Units 549th Motorized Brigade 72nd special Airborne Brigade Russian volunteers | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
light infantry battalions (up to 2,000 men) B-52, A-10 and Lockheed AC-130 units Artillery support |
three infantry battalions one artillery battalion one armored battalion air defense companies (reinforcements added during the battle)[6] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
16 killed, 40 wounded[7][8] |
25 killed, 126 wounded[9] NATO claims: 32 artillery pieces, 9 armored personal carriers, 6 armored vehicles, 4 other military vehicles, 8 mortar positions and one SA6 surface to air missile[10] | ||||||
KLA fighters managed to seize Mount Paštrik, its northern slopes and the village of Milaj, on the northern bank of the White Drin by the end of May.[12] In spite of heavy NATO air support, which included the use of USAF B-52 bombers, the Yugoslav Army held the line on the White Drin, where they build temporary bridges to maintain their supply lines open, supported by heavy mortars and artillery. The KLA took over the villages of Planeja, Bucare and Ljumbarda and a stretch of the border area northwest of Prizren,[13][14] but was unable to make further gains by the time of the Kumanovo Agreement on 9 June,[15] which resulted in Yugoslav troops withdrawing from Kosovo.